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Sermons
Welcome to Rimutaka Baptist sermons. Join us for Worship Services every Sunday at 10 AM. We upload the sermons to YouTube by 5:30 PM Sunday evenings for those who are unable to make it to church. All our sermons are available for viewing on our YouTube channel, but you can also click on the videos included in the sermon blog posts below.
This week we learn about Esau and Jacob, the twin boys born to Isaac and Rebekah. Such rivalry existed between the two that they jostled with each other even in their mother’s womb. What Kingdom lessons can we learn and how might we apply these lessons to the birthright that we share with Christ.
This Sunday we continue to look at the story of Isaac in the Bible. There we encounter two prayers that have a lot to teach us about how God approaches our prayers to Him. Join me as we unpack the process of prayer.
Today we look at the life of Isaac and what it can teach us in our faith life journey. We make use of the Kingdom lens to understand why we go through times of testing and what to hold on to, so that we don’t loose hope when we can’t yet see what God is…
This Sunday we return to the story of Abraham in Genesis 16. We learn that our journey of faith needs to be a patient one. Patient, so that we can allow God to be at work in His time. This can be a place of tension but God is a God who sees us and…
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and gave them His blessing and His purpose: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (John 20:21). Even though Thomas doubted, Jesus was patient with him and allowed him to touch the wounds on His hands and His side, so…
The day has arrived, the culmination of our Lenten Journey, He is Risen! This morning we journey back in time and ponder the reactions of the disciples to the death of Jesus. We examine the uncomfortableness before His rising and what His resurrection meant for them and what it means for us.
Today is Palm Sunday where Jesus was recognised and celebrated as He always should have been. We finish our series in 1 John by looking at chapter 5 by seeing how all we have learnt will lead us to having Christ enter our lives with triumph.
In 1 John 4:16, John declares that “God is Love” . God has intentionally created each one of us with our own unique and God-given attributes; our gender, our race, our physical appearance. When God created mankind, he said that we were Very Good. In addition, God so loved us that He “sent his Son…
In 1 John chapter 4, John urges us test the spirits. Not everyone speaks by the Spirit of God. In this sermon, we explore ways in which we can develop this discernment in our lives. John also says that if we belong to God, we have already won a victory, because the Spirit within us…
This Sunday we look at 1 John chapter 3 where John reminds us of the rich love God has lavished upon His People and this is not just any type of love but a love that has made us His own.
This next portion of John’s letter is both informative and interesting particularly as it addresses how we are to live in the last hour. What are some of the things we are to be aware of as we draw near to the coming of Jesus? John addresses the Antichrist and gives some indication of what…
This week we continue reading from the first letter of John, chapter 2. John tells us that if we love this world, we do not have the love of the Father in us. But if God created the world and said it was good according to Genesis, why is it bad to love the world?…
Join us as we continue in our series on the letters of John. In 1 John chapter 2, John tells his readers about the new commandment of loving others. Although this is an old commandment they have had since Moses, it is also new because now we have the example of Jesus, who lived as…
This Sunday we continue our sermon series in John’s first letter. Here John helps us to understand what Jesus has done for us on the cross and how we can respond appropriately to this marvelous gift of eternal life.
This Sunday we start a new sermon series focussing on the letters of John. We begin with a wonderful proclamation of Christ as John shares what it was like to be physically present with Jesus. Join me as we unpack how we can make this proclamation our own.
Immanuel is with us! It seems appropriate after focusing on the songs in Luke’s Gospel that we celebrate the birth of Christ with a song, this time our song. What song would you write for Jesus? Join me as I share my song.
This is the fourth Sunday of Advent and we are focussing on the theme of Love. Holy Week is almost upon us! This week we look at the song of Simeon. If anyone knew about the journey to Advent, it’s Simeon. We as the people of God have much to learn to from his examples.
This third Sunday of Advent we focus on the theme of Joy. God’s joy is very different to the joy we are used to, join me as we explore the joy that God has set before us.
This second Sunday of Advent we focus on peace. As God’s people we are destined for peace and to be peacemakers. Join me as we unpack Zechariah’s song.
As we start the journey of advent, we light the first candle representing Hope. We look at the Song of Mary recorded in chapter 1 of the Gospel of Luke. Mary exalted God, even though she knew He was calling her to a difficult task, she knew that God was merciful and faithful, and therefore…
After Abraham delivered the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, God came to him in a vision. A conversation between Abraham and God ensued. We learn form this conversation that Abraham was not afraid to tell God about his concerns. We also see that God cared for Abraham, and He was willing to listen to him…
In this sermon, Neville discusses the lives of three well known biblical kings; David, Solomon and Rehoboam. What can we learn from these kings and apply to our own faith lives?
This Sunday we continue to look at the life of Abraham through the Kingdom life lens. This week we see Abram having to go into battle to save the life of his nephew Lot. What lessons can we learn about facing the battles of our lives and how we can do so in a godly…
Today we continue looking at the story of Abraham. One of our natural fallen instincts is self-preservation and left unchecked it can have disastrous implications. How can we learn to be more reliant on God and allow Him to preserve our lives.
Today we continue looking at familiar stories in the Old Testament through the kingdom life lens. This time we contrast the story of Babel with the life of Abram. We are going to learn what should motivate us a we build our lives.
In Genesis 9 we read of the covenant God made with Noah after the flood. God gave Noah certain commands that demonstrate His love towards all of His creation. When we see the rainbow, we are reminded of the covenant God made with all living creatures, including ourselves. But a covenant is not just a…
As we continue journeying together through the account of Noah and the flood, let’s think about what it meant for Noah to build an ark. He obeyed God, despite the prevailing social and cultural norms. Noah was obedient to God and God provided everything he needed to build the ark. And even during the flood,…
This week we look at Noah and the flood from a Kingdom lens perspective. Many people struggle to reconcile God’s goodness with the flood, but would a good God ignore a world filled with evil and injustice? Just as God gave Noah instructions to build an ark in order to survive His judgement, so we…
Have you ever wondered about Cain’s wife and other difficult problems in the book of Genesis? In this installment of Rimutaka Baptist Question and Answer series, we answer the question of who was Cain’s wife.
This Sunday we look at the genealogy of Adam to Noah. This Father’s day as we look at the Fathers of old with a Kingdom lens we discover the rich legacy left behind by those who came before us and the blessings they received as a result of their faithfulness.
The first death on earth was not due to natural causes. It was a result of murder. Join me this week as we continue to explore Genesis from a Kingdom perspective. In the story of Cain and Abel, we see that God goes out of His way to restore Cain into a right relationship with…
This Sunday we continue our series by looking at the fall with a Kingdom lens perspective. What lessons can we learn from the experiences of Adam and Eve? How can we avoid the mistakes made at the fall?
What does the story of Adam and Eve before the fall have to teach us about a Kingdom life? Join me as we explore the wonderful complexity of the second creation narrative and how it showcases God’s wonderful life-giving plan for all of His creation.
This Sunday join us as we look at the Creation story through the lens of the Kingdom life. We can only begin to believe in the Blessed be’s if we know they are grounded in the Let it be’s of the Creation story.
Today we celebrate Carey Sunday. For over 95 years, Carey has helped to form men and women for ministry. John writes for many of us the last two years have felt at times like a wilderness. Perhaps, like the people of Israel in exile, you have felt displaced, discouraged, disoriented, disillusion and doubtful. In Isaiah…
In this final instalment in the series on Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7, Jesus commands us to enter by the narrow Gate, but to watch out for false prophets and false disciples. And in His closing parable in this awesome sermon, Jesus shows us how to build our…
This week we continue our sermon series of Jesus’ teachings in Matthew chapters 6 and 7. We learn that in order to maintain healthy relationships we need to learn to first look at ourselves before we judge others. This doesn’t mean that all judgment is wrong, this is where discernment comes in. Discernment is the…
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus tells us not to spend our life worrying, but rather to seek Him first. God knows what we need and will supply our needs provided we keep our trust in Him. Let us not be like the people Ezekiel spoke to God about in Ezekiel 33:32, who see God as nothing…
This Sunday we continue to look at the intimate relationship we have with God in our hearts. This secret place where we continue to work out our faiths. What amazing discoveries are to be found if only we allow God to be at work within us and spend time with Him there.
A kingdom heart understands that it is better to find our worth in God, and not in man. So whether we do good to the needy or whether we are praying to God, a kingdom heart does this with the truth of God in mind, and does not fall into the trap of self-adoration.
This Sunday we put into practice all we have been learning together about life in the Kingdom by discerning together what God is saying in the remainder of Matthew 5: Oaths, Retaliation and Love of Enemy. We found that God helps us to faithfully navigate these difficulties of life.
In Proverbs 17:3 we read: “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” Join us as we read a children’s story based on this wonderful proverb. The name of the story is “Jebb and the Heartsmith”, and it is written by Rudolf Coetsee.
What does the Kingdom life have to say to us when we mourn? God has a response to all of our life situations even the difficult ones. Join us this morning as we unpack how God comforts and what we can do to seek it from Him.
This Sunday we look at Jesus’ teaching on marriage and divorce. We continue to learn what to do in real life circumstances if we are to have a righteousness that is greater than the Pharisees and the Scribes.
This Sunday we look at anger and what part it has to play in Kingdom life. God like us experiences anger but the difference is His is righteous. Today we learn how to look at our anger from a more Godly perspective and how the Holy Spirit can help us to learn how to cope…
This Sunday we continue our series into Jesus’ lessons on the Kingdom. This time on having greater righteousness than the Pharisees and the scribes of the Law. What did He mean and how we instill this lesson in ourselves personally and corporately as the Church?
This Sunday we continue on with our sermon series on Kingdom living. This time looking at the lessons of Jesus regarding Salt and Light. Blessed are we who are salt and light in the world.
This Sunday we continue on in our sermon series looking at life in the Kingdom. This time we look at the greatest sermon Jesus ever told. Learn how the beatitudes are a map for Kingdom life.
He is risen! For the disciples, the resurrection of Jesus was unexpected and they did not know how to react to it. Let us consider the different reactions recorded in Luke 24, and how this might apply to our very own, personal response to Jesus’ resurrection this Easter.
The Kingdom life is a reality for all who believe in Jesus and we don’t have to wait for Heaven to begin to live in it. Our world is God breathed and God bathed, the Kingdom is all around us. We need to throw off the mind of the flesh and put on the mind…
This Sunday we continue our Lenten sermon series looking at life in the Kingdom. This time we look at John 10 and the story of the Shepherd and the Sheep in the fold. What does the Kingdom look like in a practical sense and how can we make sure we are looking out for the…
This Sunday we continue our Lenten sermon series by looking once again at how to live a Kingdom life. This time we focus on what it means to rule over a portion of the Kingdom. Join me for some royal training!
Welcome to church online this morning where we focus more closely on the life of Jesus as we continue our Lenten journey. Jesus’ life and death have much to teach us. So today we begin by looking at how we should perceive ourselves and engage in the world around us as we lead a kingdom…
This Sunday we look at the final chapter in the prophetic book of Joel. We have much to learn from the words spoken to the Nations and can be encouraged by the blessing offered to the people of God.
Today is the first Sunday of Lent. We continue our sermon series in Joel by looking at God’s response to His peoples’ lament in Joel Chapter 2. It is also communion Sunday so be sure to have your supplies ready.
This Sunday we start a new sermon series in the prophetic book of Joel. Joel helps us to process all we are feeling as we face hard times. Stay tuned to find out what Locusts and Lament have in common.
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12 July 2020 In the Gospel of John, chapter 7, Jesus goes up to Jerusalem to attend the festival of Tabernacles. But He does not travel with His brothers. He goes up in His own time, travelling alone because He knows the Father will always be at His side and He has in mind the timing of God, not of man. Join us as we discern the lessons we can learn from Jesus in this chapter. Let us choose to journey with Jesus, and prioritize God’s will and His schedule above that of the world, so we can also be Unhurried and Unafraid.
5 July 2020 In the gospel of John, chapter 6, we read the popular account of the miraculous Feeding of the Five Thousand, followed by Jesus’ teaching on the Bread of Life. Join us today as we discover the meaning of Jesus’ teaching together, using our “Son” glasses to discern the spiritual truths in this passage.
28 June 2020 This week we look at the Gospel of John chapter 5:18-47. Jesus answers the accusations by the Jewish leaders that He was breaking the Sabbath and making Himself equal to God. We look at the ways in which Jesus illustrates that the Son is like the Father.
21 June 2020 This Sunday we compare and contrast the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-17) to that of the blind man in John chapter 9. What are the similarities and differences in these two healing events? Although Jesus extends the same love and grace to both men, the one has an open heart towards believing in Jesus while the other one’s heart was blind. Join us today as we consider what we can learn from these two remarkable events.
14 June 2020 In this week’s sermon we see how different people respond to Jesus. We want to be people who respond to Jesus in praise because of who He is, not only because of what He does for us. We want to be people that take Jesus at His Word. (John 4:43-54)
7 June 2020 A Samaritan woman encounters Jesus at a well. She finds a man who knows everything about her life, and Jesus declares to her that He is the Messiah. We learn what it means to worship in spirit and in truth, and how we should all own our own faith. Join us today in celebrating the Lord’s supper after the sermon.
31 May 2020 This week we look at the final portion of the Gospel of John chapter 3. In verses 22 to 36, John testifies again about Jesus. We can learn much from John’s ministry; Repentance, Following Jesus in Obedience, and finally, letting Jesus Lead the way, we can echo the words of John in verse 30; “He must become greater; I must become less” as we journey towards our final goal; Eternal life in Christ Jesus.
24 May 2020 We continue with our journey through the Gospel of John this week. Join us as we look at Jesus’ remarkable dialogue with Nicodemus, a Pharisee and leader of the Jews.
17 May 2020 Continuing with our sermon series on the Gospel of John, this Sunday we read the account of Jesus clearing the temple courts (John 2:13-25). This account has profound significance for us today, both in our individual faith journeys as disciples, and also corporately as members of the Church, the body of Christ.
10 May 2020 The fourth installment of our series on the Gospel of John brings us to the account of the Wedding at Cana. Join Jesus and His mother for an event that will change the course of history. The symbolism is vast and still pertinent for us today.
3 May 2020 As we continue our journey through the Gospel of John, we look at the last part of Chapter 1, where the disciples have their first encounter with Jesus. The similarities between their stories and ours are remarkable. Join us as we share communion together at the end of the sermon.
26 April 2020 This Sunday we continue with our sermon series on the Gospel of John. In John 1:19-34, the emphasis is on John the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus. But just who is John the Baptist, and what can we learn from him as believers today?
19 April 2020 This week we begin a new sermon series on the gospel of John. We begin with a heavenly announcement that reveals Jesus as the Word, eternally existing with the Father, and who was made flesh and dwelt among us, bringing His life, light, grace and truth to humanity.
13 April 2020 This Sunday, we look at the resurrection experiences from the perspectives of Mary, Peter and John. May they inspire us and encourage us in our own walk of faith.
10 April 2020 This Good Friday, join us in the garden as we encounter Jesus in the final hours of freedom before the cross. May the story of Easter impact each and every one of us afresh. and inspire us to follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5 April 2020 Welcome to Holy Week. In this week’s sermon, we focus on events leading up to and including the Last Supper. Join us for communion during the service.
29 March 2020 This Sunday we begin our journey to Easter. Reading from Mark 11:1-14, we look at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and the extraordinary incident of the cursing of the fig tree. What is the meaning behind these events? Laurie explains the cultural and historical underpinnings that can enrich our understanding of these events in the life of our King and Saviour, Jesus.
22 March 2020 This is the final sermon in our series on Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. In 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28, Paul provides final instructions to the Thessalonians on how to live as disciples of Jesus while they await the Lord’s return. He deals with practical ways in which we can love our neighbors and also how we can love God.
15 March 2020 In this sermon, Laurie talks about Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica. The scripture reading is from 1 Thessalonians 4:13 to 5:11. Paul encourages the church to comfort each other with the coming of the Lord and to walk in hope.
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